Behind the Music: Annihilation
by DarkWriter00
Summary: Sit back and enjoy the documentarysongfic combination about Team Dark forming a rock band, taking place sometime after the events of Sonic Heroes. Rated due to brief violence and language, just to be safe!
1. Introduction

Behind the Music: Annihilation

Introduction…

The TV camera focuses on a man, appearing to be around thirty something years of age. He's wearing a black T-Shirt that has a red logo that looks like a fireball, with a word in all white capital letters that read: ANNIHILATION. The rest of his attire would be brown khaki pants with black Reebok sneakers. His hair is short, cropped, and is a mahogany color, with a matching mustache. His eyes are a warm grey color.

"Hi, I'm Vandal Schmitz and I'll be your new host for this evening. The other staff didn't feel this band would be of any significance, but it is! It brings a new era of rock music. The era of…um… Y'know, myself and some others tied up the original staff because somebody hired me to do this and I felt like I could-"

A sultry female voice is heard from behind the camera. "Shut up and just make something up… Or else I won't give you this." Vandal Schmitz's eyes are gazing past the camera at something, bedazzled. The female voice gets impatient. "Well! We don't have all night, so just get on with it!"

"Oh… Oh yes." Mr. Schmitz clears his throat. The camera zooms in on his face, and then the visuals start to get blurry. "Uh, oops, too close," said a young male voice, assuming the one that's operating the camera and zoomed out a bit. "IMAGE ON SCREEN NOT CLEAR. ZOOM OUT," called a far off mechanical voice. "This is stupid," mumbles another far off male voice. The supposed "TV host" clears his throat again, looking a bit aggravated over this small camera goof up.

"Well, tonight's feature is about one of the newest and greatest rock and roll bands of our time. Annihilation. A group of five young animal folks that can stand upright and two of them can sure sing." Schmitz chuckles. "I know, for I'm a big fan of them myself." He grins a little bit bigger, and after a moment he continues to talk to the camera. "It all started about one year back, when a team of three were recuperating from a fight with the famous worldwide evildoer, Dr. Eggman…" Schmitz stops talking, and smiles. Nothing else happens at the moment. Various voices are going off in the background, during the awkwardness. This includes the sultry female voice, the apathetic and aggravated male voice and the mechanical voice.

"ERROR, ERROR. CANNOT FIGURE HOW TO FADE OUT TO THE NEXT PART."

"Oh, you people are hopeless! …Not you Mr. Vandal Schmitz. You're doing just fine."

"Sigh… This is a waste of time. If we want to promote ourselves, let's do something else."

"SCANNING CONTROLS… ONE MOMENT PLEASE…"

"Sigh!"

"…Y'know, I don't think we'll get anything done here."

"Mick, we have to be patient."

"FADE TO FIRST RECORDING FOR DOCUMENTARY."

"Hmph, about time…"

"Finally!"


	2. Part One: Rouge's Close Call

****

I want you to know that the whole summary of this story is in my profile. Thanks Crystal (Water Goddess). Glad ya like the beginning. Now, onto the first part of the actual story "behind the music"! It's the first songfic chapter. Lyrics are from "Vermillion" by Slipknot. Interesting on how I transitioned from Rouge's POV to Shadow's POV here. The lyrics, by the way, are and will always will be in bold letters. As well as my author notes, of course.

Part One: Rouge's Close Call

****

She seems dressed in all the rings

Of past fatalities.

So fragile yet so devious

She continues to see it.

It was a good night so far. The dogs were asleep. All the guards were inside. _Perfect,_ thought the silent glider, silhouetted above the street lights. _The jewelry in there will be mine._ In reading about them in the local newspaper, San Francisco's large museum had Nephriti's jade necklace, some Chinese earrings and bracelets from the royal women who lived during the first dynasty, and other nifty little artifacts, all safe and awaiting to be in Rouge the bat's hands. They will be hers. Oh yes, they will be hers… Jewelry collecting was her most dedicated hobby. The government wouldn't approve of this. Ever since she found Shadow the Hedgehog, she had felt inspired. The U.S. Government was like a leash. They were _using_ her. Saving the world? Tch. There were plenty of heroes. Rouge just didn't feel like one of those types. Heroes wouldn't act like she would act. She just wanted to be free and not have to worry about a thing, like Shadow. In a way, he had opened her eyes. …Not that she's told him about this or anything. She's kept this to herself, as a secret.

Now, the full fledged renegade treasure huntress landed on the roof, near the glass, and pulled off a glove. If Rouge was going to sneak in, bashing the window apart would not only blow her cover, but get herself hurt. So that was stupid.

****

Climatic hands that press…

With a set of five claws, Rouge carefully removed one panel of glass and placed it down on the concrete surface of the roof. This took time, but patience was a virtue. Besides, she had all night. She planned everything. Rouge then attended to the cable she brought with her, tying one end around her waist, and the other around the bars that once held the piece of glass. _I know this feels so cliché, like Mission: Impossible, but it's the only and best way that this operation can be done._ The length of the cable was plenty long enough for her to swing and sway to those display cases, quietly remove the glass, and then get the hell out of there.

Slowly with ease, she filled the warm summer air into her wings, gently parachuting down into her target, one of the fancy displays inside the museum.

****

Enter the night that she came home…

She went over to Nephriti case first. Too easy. Her feet didn't even touch the lasers on the ground level security system. No one was prepared for a treasure hunter such as Rouge herself. _Yes, oh yes! This will be worn around my neck quite nicely._ Cutting into the glass, she nabbed it. Then hopped a foot into the air and swayed to the right. She went in and snatched all of the Chinese jewelry.

****

She is everything and more…

Rouge got to the Thailand artifacts, putting on the jewelry to be able to carry them. This was _too easy_. Easier than it took her to find those Emerald pieces. Then, she had to let them go or else the argument between her and Knuckles would've gone on and on for a very long time. _Damn echidna…_ But really, she had no regrets. The Master Emerald pieces were too much of a burden. Plus, that red nuisance didn't know where Rouge was. All the better.

…Footsteps. "Hey, just what do you think you're doing!" A male security guard came into the room. "Gotta bail," she silently hissed to herself as she began to flap her violet bat wings back to the hole in the ceiling. The alarms then started to blare. "Hey, you! Stop where you are! Hold it!" BANG, BANG! That fat bastard was shooting at her now. A bullet nicked the tip of her right wing, causing her to jerk in midair, but she maintained her balance. Rouge used all the strength she had to get out of the place and head on back to her secret hideaway.

As she landed a few feet away, hidden in the shadows, it was the time to catch her breath. That was TOO close. "I'll just have to try to think things through more carefully, won't I," she said, but wasn't too mad at herself. She got the goods, didn't she? Wincing in pain of the pain of her right wing, the risk of getting caught was not forgotten. But it was just a scratch. She'll live.

****

Hard to say what caught my attention…

Rouge, however, wasn't alone…yet again. Someone, a semi-familiar silhouette had been within her field of vision. It could either be Sonic (oh, no) or- "Thieving again, I see?" The low, uncaring and less enthusiastic tone told her that it was Shadow. It was too dark to see him now, but it was clear that the two were facing each other. Rouge felt a smirk creeping across her pink, glossy lips. "…You were following me." The hedgehog silhouette nodded once, and silently. "Why? It's not usually like you to be curious like this." Rouge forced out a soft laugh. "You're just full of surprises. Ever since I first met you…" "I don't want _you_ to get myself in trouble. You lucked out again, but you may be caught one day," Shadow scoffed. Rouge could just imagine the scowl on his face. _Since when did he become a parent all of a sudden?_

Shadow, on the other hand could not believe this. "Coming, father," he heard Rouge say, mainly to give him a hard time. Rouge was just an small acquaintance, a small window of opportunity to keep him and his better acquaintance, Omega, to be left alone. "…That's not funny," Shadow muttered to the irritating jewelry addict. Almost all the time, Rouge always grated his nerves.

****

I won't let this build up inside of me.

I won't let this build up inside of me.

I won't let this build up inside of me.

I won't let this build up inside of me.

"Of course it is, Shadow," Rouge laughed and flew off into the night. He let her get a head start back to their hideout, located in a renovated motel to which they made sure to leave no trail of evidence for the local authorities to attend. The problem was, this time, someone saw Rouge. Now he had to make sure he wasn't around her for a while.

****

I'm a slave and I am a master.

No restraints and unchecked collectors.

I exist in my need, to self oblige.

She is something in me, that I despise.

Tonight's weather felt rather nice and perfect for the hedgehog to be left alone. That's what he preferred most of the time. To be left alone. And during his spare time, he'd think a lot about all the memories he's regained not so long ago. Mostly about Maria. About her promise. He saved the world once. But something was haunting him. Shadow just didn't know what. Was he still supposed to save Earth? Eggman was history, for now at least. He'd accomplished what was asked of him, right? "Then, why am I still here," he asked himself. He soon shook those thoughts off, not wanting to get lost in them. He felt lost enough already.

****

I won't let this build up inside of me.

I won't let this build up inside of me.

I won't let this build up inside of me.

I won't let this build up inside of me.

That was enough thinking, Shadow decided. He had to get back to the others, and keep watch with Omega. Maybe catch something interesting on the old TV that the robot had repaired, so they'd be able to see what all the world is up to. What a nifty piece of technology, the television…


	3. First Interview With Rouge

First Interview with Rouge (mostly)

Vandal Schmitz's cannot be seen, but his voice is heard. The camera shows the different members, mostly on Rouge though.

"With nothing to do, the trio, Rouge, Shadow, and Omega the robot, have been causing nothing but trouble. Especially Rouge." Some dark instrumental stuff from the band's music plays in the background as the camera is focused on Rouge, sitting in a red chair that a movie director would sit in. She grins and gives a flirtatious wink at the camera before she starts to speak. "When there's something that catches my eye, I must have it. I guess you could say I _still_ get into trouble every now and then. We all do."

Schmitz's voice is heard again, camera showing Rouge flirting with the camera, and Shadow scoffing at it as he tries to rehearse on his green electric guitar from an earlier recording. "According to Rouge, it was Shadow who had started to change a little." Rouge nods to this as the camera goes back to focusing on the girl bat for more information. She chuckles as she continues. "It was as if Shadow were becoming a responsible and loving parent. He followed me one night, to make sure I wasn't getting Shadow, Omega, or myself into trouble." There's a couple snickers in the background and an aggravated voice saying, "Shut up! It's not funny! I'm not like that at all, Rouge. And you know that." Shadow comes into view to where Rouge is, a snarl across his muzzle. "Hey, this is MY interview. Wait your turn," she teased as he didn't move but glared at her, crossing his arms. Rouge turns back to the camera with a smirk. "From that night onward, things have started to change." She looks to Shadow. "I didn't know he had any musical talent of the sort. A surprised expression appears on the black hedgehog's face, and then he goes back to scoffing. "True…it was just something awaiting to be discovered."

Vandal Schmitz is once more heard, showing some live performance footage of their band on stage, with an excited audience. "Rouge and Shadow, along with Omega didn't exactly know of any of their talents to begin with. They were basically each to their own…" The TV camera is now focusing on Schmitz. "Next, after the break, we'll explore the very beginnings of this recent legend. Stay tuned!" The camera fades to black, as the voice of our unprofessional camera operator is talking.

"Alright, that was great…so when do Jared and I come in?"

"…Mick, is the camera still on?"

"Oh, oops…"

"SHOWING FIRST COMMERCIAL…NOW…"


	4. Part Two: Life is Kinda Boring

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Song lyrics from "Longview" by Green Day. All respected shows, commercials, and all the stuff that's on the TV belonging to Team Dark belong to their respectable owners, of course. All that is mine are the ideas and interpretations I come up with. Ya know the drill.

Part Two: Life is Kinda Boring

Shadow the hedgehog skated, leaped, and grinded back to the motel that was picked by Rouge for their hideout. It was such a dump that she must have figured no one looking for them would find them here. And it was mostly so dark…

He opened the door, since there was no need to knock. The two he shared this place with could find his face in a crowd, no doubt. "SHADOW…WELCOME," Omega-123, an ex-servant of Dr. Eggman, as well as he and Rouge were. Shadow just nodded his head once. He was usually so little of words. There was no need to talk unless needed to. The TV was off, so he grabbed the thin black remote and turned it on. Rouge was no where to be seen. Not yet at least. _Huh, she must be out picking up a few extra things on her next treasure hunt_, he thought as he switched to the news. It was nothing out of the ordinary he's seen really. The bank being robbed every once in a while, Mr. Celebrity or Mrs. Celebrity cheating on some other Celebrity or someone outside of fame. Even the museum robbery Rouge had gotten herself involved into was no surprise. It was going to be another hot day, the weather man had reported. Dull, unentertaining… So, Shadow began to flip through the channels. Omega did this often, usually gathering information to the world around them. In fact, the robot had joined him shortly.

****

I sit around and watch the tube, but nothing's on.

I change the channels for an hour or two…

"Buy the one and only Diesel Vacuum! It goes on carpet, tile, wood-"

"I'll buy a vowel." "Alright…" "How about…I?" "No, sorry, there's-"

"Nod your head, get them chicken fries-"

"No, you can't! You can't, Tom!" "…THIS IS THE LIFETIME CHANNEL," Omega cut in as a human woman kept trying to talk to her husband into giving some punk kid another chance to letting him stay at their home. _It's junk_, thought Shadow in disgust.

"Whoa, look at this! Crikey! Ain't this a beaut-"

"You put 'em together! New, from Mattel-"

"Let's put some barbeque sauce on that stain. See? Oxy-Clean gets out-"

****

Twiddle my thumbs just for a bit.

I'm sick of all the same old shit…

Infomercials, boring animal shows, dramatic films, ah, what about the Comedy Channel? Shadow changed to channel sixty-five. The British version of "Whose Line is it Anyway?" was on. A re-run. So far, not a thing could he find on television worth watching. For a while longer, he channel surfed some more.

"Extreme close up! WHOOOOOOA!" "WHOOOOOA-"

"I've got great news!" "What is it Trixie?" "I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switch-"

"Weapon cases." "These weren't meant for us." "We don't need weapons! We need-"

****

Bite my lip and close my eyes.

Take me away to paradise.

I'm so damn bored, I'm going blind…

It wasn't until Shadow found channel MTV2. A song was being sung, and it sounded nice to Shadow's ears. It was strange to see though. It looked like a classroom and there were people sitting at desks, and then getting up to attack each other. "So lay down… This threat is real…" "A MUSIC VIDEO CHANNEL," Omega informed. "DIFFERENT MUSICIANS PROMOTE THEMSELVES BY PERFORMING ON TELEVISION. I'VE ALSO WITNESSED A SHOW CALLED 'MAKING THE VIDEO', IN WHICH THEY EXPLAIN WHAT THE MUSIC VIDEO IS ABOUT. THEY VARY IN DIFFERENT STYLES."

Shadow was only half paying attention as the video was ending. By the time the words appeared on the lower left corner of the small square screen, Rouge had come in, shutting the door behind her. "Hello, boys…" Shadow ignored her, but Omega emitted the usual greeting from his wired vocal box or whatnot. "Hey Shadow, could you turn the volume down just a bit? I'm about to get some sleep," Rouge asked. Shadow did so with no problem. He understood that unlike Omega and himself, Rouge would need rest during the night. Shadow never felt that need. He could rest, close his eyes, sit down, and think, not making a sound, but so much supernatural abilities flowed within him that it was impossible for him to sleep. Omega could just stand still and remain passive, but he'd never sleep either. Shadow may not be able to sleep, but he could eat, drink, and go to the bathroom. The ultimate life form was a living organism, after all.

Throughout the night, Shadow was just a bit into the music video channels, mainly with rock and roll music. Something he grew a slight interest in, until his eyes couldn't take anymore television. Then the place became quiet.

He watched the sunrise, witnessing one of Earth's true beauties. Maria was right all along when she told him about Earth, back before… No, he wasn't going to think about her. Not right now. It brought too much pain. He kept watching the sky though, hour by hour while fixing himself a bagel and a small glass of orange juice for breakfast. The noise of cars' engines were out there, and he saw the early rising humans in their grey, black, or blue suits and suitcases. Reporting to do their jobs, or whatever it was they all did to keep going.

He had helped to save Earth, but never got the smallest bit of gratitude. He had vanished from that blue hedgehog and his friends for quite a while now. They had gone their separate ways it seemed. Shadow respected Sonic, as long as he wasn't in his way.

He heard Rouge yawn as he turned to watch her enter the living room area. Shadow's breakfast had been eaten. Omega came to life and started to move around. "Oh, you already had breakfast without me," cooed the bat girl, batting with her big eyelashes. Disturbed, Shadow looked away from Rouge and saw the tiniest glint of the sun, peaking around the thin, shadowy shapes of the tall buildings in the distance. Today, he just felt like he wanted to get out of the motel for some reason. Without looking back, he stepped outside and decided to follow his instincts.

The red, black and white, apathetic hedgehog was bored of staying hidden in the motel day after day. There was a calling to do something different…

****

I got no motivation.

Where is my motivation?


End file.
